Sunny Golloway, left, poses for a photo op with athletic director Jay Jacobs after being introduced as Auburn's new baseball coach Saturday, June 15, 2013, at the Auburn Athletic Complex in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

AUBURN, Alabama -- Sunny Golloway has had conversations in the past about other jobs in the Southeastern Conference.

But it wasn't until this week the longtime Oklahoma coach wanted to hear more about an opportunity to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. A few days later, he signed a five-year contract with Auburn shortly after his interview.

"We've been offered opportunities," Golloway said Saturday. "I won't get into the particular schools but we've had the opportunity to come to the SEC in the past and it wasn't the right time in life."

After nine years as Oklahoma's coach, Golloway thought it was time to move on. Following him is a deep history of winning. His teams at Oral Roberts and OU have advanced to the NCAA postseason 14 of 15 years, and he argues his 2007 team in Norman should have advanced, too, with an RPI ranking of 29.

He's led the Sooners to four super regionals and a College World Series in 2010. Inevitably, the question Saturday for the newly-hired coach arrived: when will you win a championship at Auburn?

"I won't put a timetable, and I won't pull a Jimmy Johnson, so to speak, and guarantee we're going to go win the Super Bowl, but I will tell you this: we're going to win and we're going to win quickly," Golloway said. "I know the recent history and I know the long-term history (at Auburn)."

The Tigers have advanced to an NCAA Regional only once in the last eight seasons.

"We're going to have a strong RPI, we're going to represent the university in a first-class manner and we're going to be deserving of playing in the NCAA Tournament," Golloway said. "Again, it's about winning championships and our student-athletes, from Day 1, are going to understand. Our first opportunity to go out and win a championship is to win the (SEC) West. That's what we'll seek. And then it's about winning the SEC Tournament."

Golloway's program at Oklahoma has been called the "Cal State Fullerton of the midwest" because of their ability to catch defenders by surprise by stealing bases and playing small ball when needed.

"The system is solid, the system is proven, the system will win," Golloway said. "It's about discipline, it's about commitment and it's about passion and love for the game."

The coach has also managed to evolve with the game. The Sooners led the Big 12 in home runs the season they advanced to the College World Series in 2010 -- the year before the NCAA introduced new bats that drastically curbed home-run production. The Sooners adjusted and have since advanced to two more Super Regionals.

"His biggest thing is his development of players," said Joe Beckwith, a former Auburn baseball player who helped Jacobs during the coaching search. "He's got a good team coming back and I think he's going to be able to take this team to other levels."

Golloway is familiar with Auburn. He won a national championship as an assistant at Oklahoma in 1994, the year the Sooners knocked Hal Baird's Auburn team out of the College World Series. Baird reached out to Golloway to discuss the Auburn job this week. Baird's teams advanced to an NCAA Regional in seven of his last eight seasons. He retired following the 2000 season.

Golloway said he was sold on the idea of jumping to the SEC once he met athletics director Jay Jacobs. He toured the facilities Friday and signed a contract later in the day, a mere six days since his team was swept by LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional.

"Regardless of the outcome of this year's season, it would not have made a difference," he said. "This is a place we're exciting about being at, desired to be at and it's become home real quick."